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Fatherhood, Fathers’ Rights and Responsibility: Rethinking the Relationship between Men and Parenting in Law and Policy

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In the context of well-documented shifts in parenting culture, recent research has suggested many fathers now articulate legal claims, not just in a language of rights, justice and entitlement, but also, increasingly, via reference to ideas of care, caring and welfare. This paper reconsiders the development of fathers’ rights politics within the legal arena and, drawing on the findings of a study of UK fathers’ rights groups, seeks to trace a way through the often highly polarised debates in this area.

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Fatherhood, Fathers’ Rights and Law: Rethinking the Relationship Between Men and Parenting Prof. Richard Collier, University of Newcastle, UK ‘ Changing Parenting Culture’, University of Cambridge, 3 April 2009    
1. Setting the Scene: Three Contexts Fatherhood and Law ‘ Engaging Fathers’: [ Think Fathers Nov 2008; Healthy Lives, Brighter Futures , Child Health Strategy Feb 2009, the ‘Dad Proofing’ of Policies; EHRC Working Better Report March 2009; Good Childhood Enquiry Feb 2009; CSJ Family Law Review 2008; responding to the recession ... ] Developments in Law: [Children and Adoption Act 2006; CMEC; Birth Registration; Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 ... ]
Fathers’ Rights and Post-separation parenting Realignment of organisations/stakeholders – promoting a ‘national debate The ‘emotional fallout’ of separation – helping parents and children move on together ...
The Research Base (fatherhood, separation and masculinities)
2. Approaching Fathers’ Rights Critiques of Fathers’ Rights Activism The ‘Ethic of Justice Strikes Back’, a reassertion of power, ‘Motherhood Descending’, ‘Demonizing Mothers’, questions of violence ... Gender neutrality, formal equality, responsibility, rights, care, autonomy ... But ... Unanswered Questions
3. Recasting the Questions A Different Reading ... Law, Society and the evolution of fathers’ rights politics 1. Rights, Justice, Care: (Fragmenting) Fatherhood, Men and Masculinities 2. Policy, Emotion and Separation The Psychological /Sociological dynamics of separation in law ‘ Under the Radar’ – the ‘micro-politics’ of contact and fatherhood, the complexity and diversity of fathers’ rights politics 3. Impact and Politics
4. Transforming Fatherhood, Gender and the Limits of Law 1. The Importance of Social and Legal Context: - a ‘transformation of the role of the father ... A new set of norms for fatherhood’? (Fineman, 2004). Dealing with contradictions ... 2. Remoralising Fatherhood?: Diversity, Inclusion/Exclusion – e.g. the ‘ moral significance’ of class (access to resources/networks, the play of masculinities in the field of fathers’ rights politics, the ‘social problem’ of men across contexts ...) 3. The ‘Bigger Picture’

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Fatherhood, Fathers’ Rights and Responsibility: Rethinking the Relationship between Men and Parenting in Law and Policy

  • 1. Fatherhood, Fathers’ Rights and Law: Rethinking the Relationship Between Men and Parenting Prof. Richard Collier, University of Newcastle, UK ‘ Changing Parenting Culture’, University of Cambridge, 3 April 2009    
  • 2. 1. Setting the Scene: Three Contexts Fatherhood and Law ‘ Engaging Fathers’: [ Think Fathers Nov 2008; Healthy Lives, Brighter Futures , Child Health Strategy Feb 2009, the ‘Dad Proofing’ of Policies; EHRC Working Better Report March 2009; Good Childhood Enquiry Feb 2009; CSJ Family Law Review 2008; responding to the recession ... ] Developments in Law: [Children and Adoption Act 2006; CMEC; Birth Registration; Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008 ... ]
  • 3. Fathers’ Rights and Post-separation parenting Realignment of organisations/stakeholders – promoting a ‘national debate The ‘emotional fallout’ of separation – helping parents and children move on together ...
  • 4. The Research Base (fatherhood, separation and masculinities)
  • 5. 2. Approaching Fathers’ Rights Critiques of Fathers’ Rights Activism The ‘Ethic of Justice Strikes Back’, a reassertion of power, ‘Motherhood Descending’, ‘Demonizing Mothers’, questions of violence ... Gender neutrality, formal equality, responsibility, rights, care, autonomy ... But ... Unanswered Questions
  • 6. 3. Recasting the Questions A Different Reading ... Law, Society and the evolution of fathers’ rights politics 1. Rights, Justice, Care: (Fragmenting) Fatherhood, Men and Masculinities 2. Policy, Emotion and Separation The Psychological /Sociological dynamics of separation in law ‘ Under the Radar’ – the ‘micro-politics’ of contact and fatherhood, the complexity and diversity of fathers’ rights politics 3. Impact and Politics
  • 7. 4. Transforming Fatherhood, Gender and the Limits of Law 1. The Importance of Social and Legal Context: - a ‘transformation of the role of the father ... A new set of norms for fatherhood’? (Fineman, 2004). Dealing with contradictions ... 2. Remoralising Fatherhood?: Diversity, Inclusion/Exclusion – e.g. the ‘ moral significance’ of class (access to resources/networks, the play of masculinities in the field of fathers’ rights politics, the ‘social problem’ of men across contexts ...) 3. The ‘Bigger Picture’